"The Rebel Cavalry was decisive! Victory!" Topic

Just got home from a great game tonight. It was the finish of a large battle begun last weekend. It's part of an ongoing campaign set in the Shenandoah.

A Union corps with artillery reserves is dug in in light works between a few hills. The Confederate infantry is probing and starts to prepare an attack in earnest against the part of the line in hasty works.

Suddenly, a Rebel cavalry division arrives on that flank in the Union rear! In short order the union right flank is pressed between the charging cavalry and advancing infantry. The Union troops fought well but the result was inevitable – the division was rolled up and destroyed.

There was a brief lull as both sides gathered their wits. The Union refused their right flank while holding the better works. Just at that time two more Union divisions arrived on the scene. The Union debated a withdrawal, but General McGee having just arrived assured his commander all was not lost. The Confederates are overextended – one big push on their left and the battle is ours. So the Union attacked on the left while forming a defensive "fishhook" position on their right anchored on a low hill.

Reminiscent of the maneuvers at Manassass, each side sought to drive in the other's flank. The Union advanced on their left, the Confederates on theirs. Both sides were making gains.

Once again General Severin and his doughty troopers rode to the rescue. In a dazzling march, the Confederate cavalry dashed from the Rebel left, behind the army all the way across to their right. In as valiant dash that would have made even Murat himself proud, the cavalry crashed into the flank of the attacking Union. This proved to be too much for them to take. One division reverted to a defensive position on a hill based on a grand battery. The other division fell apart, overrun by the cavalry. Several batteries and a regiment were swept up in the tide of gray-clad horsemen!

What a fun game! Not like any other ACW battle I've ever been part of. Part Gettysburg, part Franklin and part Winchester with Sheridan's ride.

I have a dozen or so pics which I'll post when I get a few minutes tomorrow.

Rules are a computer moderated home brew featuring simultaneous movement, dummy blinds and loads of 20mm figures on a 6 x 12 table!

The End of the Fishook:

Confederate Cavalry Ride to Glory:"

nice but i was really hopimg for massed Taun-tauns from the title.

I hope there were quotes from the movie "Gettysburg" during the game. :-)

We have had a couple games like that over the years. What rule set were you playing?

Matthew

No Gettysburg quotes. Actually the quote of the night belonged to the overall commander (who suffered the defeat at the Fishook): "Some of my best units are the routed ones."

The Union had so much artillery they keep losing track of them. So the movie quote these of the night was Star Wars:

The aren't the guns you're looking for. //Jedi Hand Wave//

Rules: The rules are a computer moderated home brew set that we use for everything 1600-1900. What makes it really great is no matter the period all you need is the charts which give just weapon ranges and movement rates. Everything else is in the computer.

One nice aspect too is you can ask tell the GM, here's what I want to do, and he'll tell you how that works in his rules. So you may make a mistake but you don't have those "if I'd known that's how the rule worked I wouldn't have done that" situations.

Huh, I never got into ACW as I figured cavalry just doesn't have much role to play. . . will have to reconsider.

Didn't Lee actually want Stuart to perform a similar maneuver on Gettysburg day 3?

Most of the time, Spud, you are right. This is an infantry and artillery war. That's what made this game so different!

Who ever saw a dead cavalryman anyway?